


Shameless

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Black Moon [20]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Bonding, Gossip, M/M, Romance, Sexual Humor, Visual Kei, music industry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-29 22:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15738372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: In between family issues, planning out music videos, and comments from shameless fans, Byakuya and Renji talk about future career plans.





	Shameless

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> I'm not sure if this will need a trigger warning, but there will be a few 'Daddy' jokes in this instalment. Also, I had to spend hours searching for palaces appropriate enough for Byakuya's aesthetic in this series.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, though!

Days had passed since his first gig and Byakuya couldn’t believe that it had been a success. Not only was it beginning to get him noticed in the scene, but there was already a slowly-growing fanbase. Much to his surprise, he’d found out that among the Black Moon fans who liked his music, some of them were the loyal fans of Hisana, those who had still remained faithful even when the scandal had happened. They all had very kind things to say about his music, and were wishing him the best in his career.

Byakuya briefly wondered what the naysayers were saying about him, but he didn’t want to give it too much thought. After all, so long as he had support, then he didn’t care about what the detractors were saying unless it got really ugly or cruel.

Speaking of detractors, only recently did Byakuya start receiving angry messages from the family; it appeared that the news of his first successful gig had managed to reach them. And by God, were those messages incredibly vile. Not only had he been getting them from his aunt and uncle, but also from his grandmother and her network of enablers.

Among the messages of anger about how Byakuya was sullying the family name and disgracing them, he’d also gotten some spiteful, degrading messages about his appearance. Family members had been telling him that he looked like a whore, a bitch, how dare he dress up like a woman, what happened to his sense of shame, and the like. And among that, he’d also gotten threats of being removed from the will if he didn’t stop his shameful activities and end his musical career.

None of it fazed him at all. All Byakuya did was block their phone numbers and their presence online; he refused to be won over by threats of removing him from something that had lost all meaning to him now. If he got written out of the will, it didn’t matter. Byakuya was still the CEO of the record label, and they couldn’t take it away at this point. Besides, he was already making a name for himself with the help of supportive people. Soon, he wouldn’t have to depend on the Kuchiki name to be recognized.

Today was a meeting regarding Byakuya’s single ‘Ikka Senjinka’ and the music video for it. Again, he was working with Kyoraku for the filming; one of the perks of having his husband as a manager, he supposed. But the meeting also included Nejibana, since they were just as important as Byakuya.

So when Byakuya arrived at the meeting room, it was no surprise to see Starrk already seated, though he was sleeping in his chair. Sitting right next to him was his sister, a petite young woman named Lilynette, though she had her headphones covering her ears so she didn’t hear Byakuya entering. Also at the table was Ulquiorra, who was reading a Spanish-language novel.

That wasn’t too surprising for Byakuya either. Ulquiorra was very fluent in Spanish, having been born and spending a few years of his life in Valencia, but he’d moved to Tokyo at a young age and grew up there, then went to study English and Spanish literature at the University of Seville for a brief period. He had a keen fascination with the human heart, mainly what it meant in a metaphorical sense.

When Byakuya entered, Ulquiorra glanced up at him. “Good morning, Kuchiki-san,” he greeted, his voice as cool and impassive as always.

“Good morning,” Byakuya said. He sat down at the table and pulled out his laptop, opening it up. “What book is that?”

 _“Corazón tan blanco,_ by Javier Marías,” Ulquiorra said, turning a page. “I studied this in my Spanish literature class back when I was studying Spanish and Latin American literature in Seville, and it’s one of my favourites.” He glanced at Byakuya. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to pre-order ‘Dark of the Bleeding Moon’,” Byakuya said, clicking the link for Black Moon’s official website.

Black Moon had recently revealed the artwork and tracklist for ‘Dark of the Bleeding Moon’, and already the pre-orders for both the regular and limited editions of the albums had come up on their website. The limited edition had a second disc, which consisted of the music videos of ‘Gomi Tame’, ‘Black & White’, and ‘Momoiro no Hana’, along with behind-the-scenes footage of each video.

The album cover was of a blood-red moon in a black sky shining down upon abandoned city ruins, and the title was printed in a Gothic-style font at the bottom of the cover. It wasn’t too over-the-top or plain, it actually looked rather nice. After reading through the fourteen-song tracklist, Byakuya placed his pre-order for the limited edition.

Just as he closed his laptop, he heard Lilynette speak. “Oh, Kuchiki! I didn’t hear you come in!” she said, a little bit surprised.

He gave her a nod. “Good morning,” he greeted. “What are you doing?”

“Just reading some gossip,” Lilynette said. “Once the rest of your crew comes in, I’ll wake Starrk up and get going.” She rolled her eyes as she glanced at her older brother. “Geez, he didn’t even wake up to say hi to you? What a loser!”

“It’s alright,” Byakuya reassured her. “He’s probably just tired, that’s all. Anyways, what kind of gossip are you reading?”

“Music industry stuff,” she said, her voice amused. “You know, there’s some rumours about you and Renji-kun from Black Moon.”

Byakuya raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “Like what?” he asked.

Lilynette grinned slightly. “Oh, you know,” she said. “Some fans believe you and Renji-kun are fucking in secret, since he helped promote your new single and all that.”

He shouldn’t have felt embarrassed but Byakuya felt his cheeks growing warm. Fans had already noticed just how close they were? But it wasn’t like they had to confirm or deny rumours, right? At the same time, however, it was a little bit amusing to hear that people already believe that he and Renji were in some secret relationship. He had to tell Renji about this some time.

Seeing the look on his face, Lilynette grinned even more. “Yeah, there’s also some rumours about Renji-kun and his bandmates too,” she chuckled. “Like how he and Ichigo-kun are probably fucking, or him and Shuuhei-kun, things like that.”

Byakuya couldn’t stop the chuckle that slipped from his lips. “Well, considering the fanservice they did at their live at Shinjuku Blaze back in August, I can’t say I’m surprised,” he said.

Ulquiorra glanced up at their conversation. “I heard about that concert,” he said. “If I remember correctly, didn’t Ichigo kiss Chad during that one?”

“Yes, he did,” Byakuya said, recalling the loud screams all around him when that had happened.

“Right. After that concert, I’ve been hearing rumours about Ichigo and Chad being in a secret relationship,” Ulquiorra said.

Ichigo and Chad? Now that was new. But Byakuya supposed he understood why some fans found it exciting, especially since they were friends since middle school.

Lilynette was scrolling through her phone, presumably reading more gossip. “Oh wow, you should see what some fans are saying about you, Kuchiki!” she laughed.

Curiosity now piqued, Byakuya paid attention as Lilynette read some fan quotes from her phone. Some of them were praising his songs and lyrics, but there were also plenty about his looks. Among those were disbelief over whether Byakuya was truly human (since he was apparently too beautiful to be human), much to his amusement.

But of course, there were also the sexual comments, and none of them were prepared for what Lilynette read from her phone.

Upon seeing it, Lilynette dissolved into fits of laughter. “Oh my gosh, these fans are thirsty!” Taking a deep breath, she read the quote aloud.

“‘I swear, Byakuya-kun is Daddy material, and I want him to fuck me right now’! Holy shit, this is gold!” She collapsed into another fit of loud laughter that actually woke Starrk up.

“Oi, Lilynette! I told you to shut up and let me sleep!” Starrk protested. “What the fuck was that for?!”

Byakuya was stunned speechless. Ulquiorra was equally stunned. And of course, this had to be the moment when Ukitake, Kyoraku, Kaien, Tsukishima, and Miyako arrived. Sure enough, all four of them stood in the doorway, equally surprised.

“Whoa, who’s ‘Daddy material’?” Kaien asked. “Come on, now I need to know this!”

Lilynette got up from her chair, still giggling. “Anyways, I should get going,” she said.

Once she left the room, everyone else entered and took their seats.

“So…” Tsukishima began, glancing at Byakuya, Starrk, and Ulquiorra. “What just happened?”

“Kuchiki-san’s new fans are incredibly… brazen,” Ulquiorra said, shaking his head in disbelief.

At Ukitake’s curious look, Byakuya elaborated, his face burning.

“Someone made a comment about me online, calling me ‘Daddy material’,” he said, pressing his face into his right hand out of embarrassment.

Of course, Ukitake was surprised and mildly embarrassed. “Oh dear,” he said. “Looks like you’re getting some shameless fans.”

Kaien was already laughing. “‘Daddy material’? Sorry, but that is fucking gold,” he said.

“I’m with Kaien, that’s pretty funny,” Kyoraku chuckled.

“Seriously? That’s why Lilynette woke me up?” Starrk grumbled.

“Oh boy, here come the thirsty fans,” Miyako said, smiling.

Tsukishima shook his head. “I’ll bet that they were also a Black Moon fan,” he said. “I saw comments of a similar nature about the members of Black Moon, namely Renji.”

Okay, now Byakuya really had to share this with him. If anyone could appreciate sexual comments like that, it was Renji. And maybe Rukia. Yeah, they’d probably find it hilarious.

“Anyways, let’s get started on the meeting,” Ukitake said, getting their attention. “Regarding the music video for ‘Ikka Senjinka’, we’ve managed to land a location in Germany for filming.”

Byakuya looked at him in surprise. “Germany?” he repeated.

“That’s right,” Kyoraku said, smiling knowingly. “It’s also where your next photoshoot will be taking place.” He passed around their filming schedules, and a photo-taking schedule for Byakuya.

The filming and photo shoot would be taking place in a town called Bruchsal, in a palace known as the Schloss Bruchsal. With its fine Rococo decorations and Baroque style of architecture, it made for a perfect location to suit the aesthetics planned without going over their budget.

“Damn, this place looks super fancy,” Kaien commented. “Let me guess: France was too expensive?”

“Indeed it was,” Kyoraku said. “But this is still a good location for filming. I’ve filmed a few music videos in Germany before, and this is my first time filming a video in this particular palace. What do you think, Byakuya-kun?”

“It’s very beautiful,” Byakuya said earnestly. “I look forward to filming there.”

“I thought you would,” Ukitake said fondly.

“How big is Bruchsal?” Miyako asked.

“Well, it doesn’t have an airport,” Kyoraku said. “We’d have to fly through Frankfurt and then drive down to Bruchsal in order to access it.”

That meant it wasn’t a very huge city. On top of that, at the most, they’d be there for about four days for filming and the photo shoot. And then there was the subject of transporting instruments and other equipment, travel time, prices for flying, important things like that.

“Alright, which one of you speaks German?” Kaien asked, looking around the room. “If we’re going to a smaller city, one of us has to know the language, right?”

Or that could be their primary concern right now, Byakuya thought dryly.

* * *

It was rare that both Renji and Byakuya had freetime on the same day, but by some stroke of luck, today was a free day for the both of them. However, what was new was that Byakuya was spending the day at Renji’s apartment instead of vice versa, but neither of them minded. Besides, moments like these had become pretty rare since Byakuya had started his musical career, so they both wanted to cherish the quiet and tranquil moments they both had as much as they could.

Renji was resting his head on Byakuya’s lap, his eyes closed as Byakuya gently ran his fingers through his hair. Just a few minutes ago, Byakuya had decided to introduce Renji to the world of classical music, particularly opera, by putting Unohana Yachiru’s newest album of opera arias into the CD player. So now the apartment was filled with Unohana’s graceful and beautiful voice singing lyrics that Renji could barely even understand. But hey, if Byakuya loved her music, then he’d indulge him in this. And besides, the music sounded pretty good, especially Unohana’s voice.

To be honest, moments like these were sometimes better than sex. Just resting his head in Byakuya’s lap and sitting together in a comfortable silence at home while classical music played in the background could be so much more intimate, especially when they both could appreciate the music that was being played.

He just kind of wished he could understand what she was singing about.

“What language is this in?” Renji asked, glancing up at Byakuya.

Byakuya looked incredibly at peace right now. Was it because he was stroking Renji’s hair? Or was it the music? Maybe it was both, Renji supposed.

“French,” Byakuya explained. “It’s from the opera _Hamlet.”_

 _“Hamlet?_ You mean there’s an opera based on a Shakespeare play?” Renji asked. Maybe Ichigo would like to hear this; the guy loved Shakespeare, after all.

“There are lots of operas based on Shakespeare’s plays,” Byakuya said, smiling lightly. “Though, majority of them are based on his tragedies, namely _Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet,_ and _Othello.”_

“Heh, you should tell that to Ichigo,” Renji told him. “He’s been talking about getting a Shakespeare quote tattooed above the shadow one he has right now.”

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. “Ichigo likes Shakespeare?” he asked, pleasantly surprised.

“‘Likes’? The guy _adores_ Shakespeare,” Renji said fondly. “Some of his songs have been inspired by Shakespeare plays, actually.”

Renji listened to Unohana vocalizing, his eyebrows raising when she sang a high note. “Damn, she can really hit the high notes,” he said. “What’s she singing about?”

“Unohana-san is supposed to be Ophelia,” Byakuya explained. “In this aria, Ophelia has gone mad and believes she is married to Hamlet, so she’s just singing random things and sharing flowers with other people and at the end, she dies. Her high notes are supposed to be a sign of madness. ”

“Seriously? All that singing and she just drops dead after that?” Renji asked, chuckling.

“Madness and insanity is the common cause of death for most soprano characters in opera,” Byakuya said, shrugging. “You’ll find out with the next aria.”

When the next aria started playing, Renji found himself recognizing it from a movie he saw a while back, though the name of the movie escaped him. This one sounded a lot more mournful and haunting, for sure.

“This language is?” Renji asked, shortly after Unohana began singing.

“Italian,” Byakuya said. “It’s called ‘Il dolce suono’ and is part of a famous Mad Scene from an opera called _Lucia di Lammermoor.”_

Renji raised an eyebrow. “A mad scene?” he repeated. “Wait, what happens in the story?”

“The story is basically like _Romeo and Juliet,_ except that it takes place in Scotland,” Byakuya began. “Essentially, Lucia is in a relationship with a man from a rival family and when he leaves on an important journey, her brother manipulates the circumstances to force Lucia into marrying another man to restore her clan’s honour. But Lucia’s lover returns during the wedding and scorns her in front of everyone, so Lucia snaps and kills her husband during the wedding night and that is when the mad scene starts: when she emerges in a bloody wedding dress before all the guests.”

Byakuya chuckled at Renji’s incredulous look. “Yes, it’s quite dramatic,” he said.

“That’s an understatement,” Renji muttered. “So, what is she singing about here?”

“She’s having hallucinations of her lover in the same room, and she believes that they’re about to get married,” Byakuya explained. “The mad scene is quite lengthy, since it has three arias. And at the very end, she dies of madness.”

“And her lover?”

“He stabs himself upon hearing news of her death.”

“Of course,” Renji said, chuckling.

Again, Byakuya couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “After you told me about Unohana Yachiru being an opera singer, I searched up videos of her performances at some point and found a clip of her performing this aria from a production by the Paris Opera, back when she was at that stage of her career. I’ve kind of liked listening to opera for a while,” he said. “And I have to say, watching her sing this aria in a bloody wedding dress with her hair down… it’s quite a tour de force, both impressive and almost terrifying.”

“She’s like that as a metal singer as well,” Renji agreed. “Okay, but is every single opera like this? You know, a tragedy? Seems like all the ones you’ve told me about have all the characters dying at the end.”

“Not all of them, some have happy endings,” Byakuya said. “But everyone loves a tragedy, I suppose.”

“Fair enough,” Renji said. “Which ones do you prefer? The tragic operas or the ones with happy endings?”

Byakuya thought for a moment. “I’ll be honest, I do prefer tragedies for the most part,” he said. “I don’t know why, but the tragedies speak to me somehow. But I will admit, there are some light-hearted ones that I like.”

“I’m curious, though. Why did Unohana-san decide to release an opera album?” Renji wondered.

“Perhaps she felt like reconnecting with her operatic roots?” Byakuya suggested. “Either way, it’s not too bad.”

Byakuya turned his attention to the TV, which was silently playing through a countdown of music videos of the top hits, though an advertisement was playing right now. The volume had been reduced when Byakuya had asked to play Unohana’s new album, but it didn’t matter.

The commercial was for a brand-new heavy metal festival, known as Nozarashi Rockfest, created by Zaraki Kenpachi himself. The dates were for both the Saturday and Sunday of the second week in October, and the venue would be at the Makuhari Messe. As the advertisement kept playing, Byakuya glanced down at Renji.

“Zaraki Kenpachi has started a music festival,” Byakuya observed. “It’s for two days at the Makuhari Messe.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Renji said. “I might check it out if I’m not too busy with planning out the Halloween live. You wanna come with me, Byakuya?”

A hint of regret appeared in Byakuya’s eyes as he glanced down. “I’m so sorry, Renji, but I’m afraid I cannot make it,” he told him. “I’m travelling to film the music video of ‘Ikka Senjinka’ and for another photo shoot.”

Renji smiled reassuringly. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, placing his hand over Byakuya’s. “You’re an artist now, so your schedule is gonna be busy. But where are you going to?”

There was a small, eager glint in Byakuya’s eyes when he started speaking.

“We’re filming the music video at a palace in Germany,” Byakuya said. Even though his voice was calm, Renji could clearly see how earnest he was. “Would you like to see what it looks like?”

Renji sat up as Byakuya searched up an image on his phone, showing it to him. Taking the phone, Renji looked through the photos of the interior of the building in amazement. “Damn,” he murmured. “Really gaudy. So, where is this palace?”

“It’s in a town called Bruchsal,” Byakuya explained. “Using a French palace would’ve been too expensive for the budget, so Kyoraku-san opted to use this palace. Doesn’t it look beautiful?”

Chuckling at Byakuya’s subdued excitement, Renji couldn’t resist kissing his cheek. “Again, you’re so cute when you’re excited,” he said.

Byakuya flustered a little bit and shyly averted his eyes, instead turning his attention to the TV.

It appeared the commercials had finished. Currently, the music video playing was the Beauty Queens’ “Shoujo S”, where Rangiku and Orihime were dressed in stylish black and pink school uniforms and dancing to a catchy beat while lip-syncing. It was interesting. Even though they were idols, both Rangiku and Orihime rejected the cutesy and saccharine-sweet image associated with artists in that industry; rather, they embraced a style that was more chic and glamorous, which was why they stood out in the idol industry.

“You know, I heard that Rangiku-san and Inoue have started looking into plans for an overseas tour,” Renji said, interrupting Byakuya’s thoughts.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “An overseas tour?” he repeated.

“Yeah, Rangiku-san was telling me about it the other day,” Renji continued. “They’re thinking about doing it next spring or even in January and February. It’s gonna be their first one.”

“Which cities do they want to perform in?”

“Just cities within Asia, like Singapore and Taipei.” Renji glanced at the TV. “I guess they want to just start out slow before going outside of Asia.”

“Interesting.” Byakuya looked thoughtful. “Have you ever thought about performing abroad, Renji?”

Renji chuckled. “I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” he said. “But it would be nice.”

“Which cities would you want to perform in?” Byakuya asked.

Renji thought for a moment. “Mexico sounds awesome, honestly,” he said. “But New York or Toronto would be pretty cool. Those are the places I’m interested in going to.”

“What about your bandmates?”

“Ichigo’s interested in America, mainly Los Angeles and San Francisco, but he’s also interested in Vancouver up in Canada,” Renji said. “Shuuhei wants to do Seoul or Hong Kong one day. Chad wants to do cities in Latin America and Spain, like Mexico City and Barcelona. And Toshiro, he’s interested in Europe; mainly Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, places like that.” He glanced at Byakuya. “And you?”

Byakuya looked thoughtful. “France does sound nice,” he said. “But not just Paris; I’d also like to perform in Versailles, Bordeaux, Toulouse, cities like those. Generally, I’d like to perform in Europe, but France is at the top of my list.”

At that, Renji smiled. “Really embracing the French aristocrat aesthetic, eh?” he joked.

“Well, I’ve always kind of liked the Baroque and Rococo aesthetics, to be honest,” Byakuya said. “I wanted to incorporate it into my image and…” He suddenly remembered the piece of gossip that Lilynette had shared with him not too long ago. “I just remembered something. Renji, there are rumours about you and I.”

Renji raised an eyebrow. “Rumours about us?”

“Yes,” Byakuya said, shaking his head in mild embarrassment. “Fans have started speculating that you and I are in a secret relationship.”

“Damn, already?” Renji laughed. “Well, I mean… they’re not exactly wrong. And besides, we don’t have to confirm them, right? We can keep on teasing them.”

“And there’s also rumours about you and your bandmates,” Byakuya added.

“Oh, those? Yeah, I’ve already heard about them,” Renji chuckled. “It’s either Ichigo and I are fucking, or Shuuhei and I are fucking; hell, there’s also rumours that Ichigo and Chad are fucking. I guess fanservice and interviews are enough to make the fans’ imaginations go crazy.”

Byakuya blushed. “Also, Starrk’s sister told me about a few comments that some people have made about me already,” he said. His face burned as he recalled that particular comment. “Someone actually said that I’m… ‘Daddy material’.”

Renji stared at Byakuya in surprise. “Wait… you serious?”

“I am,” Byakuya said.

Then, Renji collapsed into a fit of laughter so hard, tears actually began falling from his eyes. “Wow… that… that’s just…” He couldn’t even finish his sentence.

Eventually, Renji managed to calm himself down. “Holy shit…” His laughter subsided and he wiped away a few tears. “You… ‘Daddy material’... I’m sorry, but that’s just fucking priceless!”

Byakuya couldn’t stop the few chuckles that escaped his lips either. “I… I had no idea that I already have such shameless fans,” he said. “That person even said they wanted me to… fuck them.”

“Damn, your fans are thirsty already!” Renji teased.

“And I believe Tsukishima also said that there were similar comments about you,” Byakuya added, shaking his head.

“Yeah, Yoruichi-san read those comments to us one day,” Renji said, chuckling as he blushed. “She likes to do this thing where before a meeting, she’ll find fan comments about us and see how many she can get through before we’re all embarrassed.”

“That sounds like her,” Byakuya said, not surprised at all. “While she does annoy me sometimes, she was somewhat like an older sister to me. I became very lonely when my family banned her from spending time with me.”

“Speaking of family,” Renji said, suddenly remembering something important, “have any of them tried to contact you?”

Byakuya sighed. “Yes, actually,” he said. “I began getting messages shortly after my first show, not just from my aunt and uncle, but from my grandmother and distant cousins. And they’re as ugly as I expected them to be.” He glanced at Renji. “They’re telling me that I’m disgracing them by dressing like a whore, how dare I act so shamelessly, things like that. In fact, they’re already threatening to remove me from the will if I don’t put a stop to my musical career.”

At this point, Renji wasn’t too surprised. Having heard enough stories about how unsupportive Byakuya’s family was, this wasn’t too much of a shock to hear. Even then, it was mind-boggling how they refused to be proud of Byakuya for his accomplishments. The guy just released his first single, gave his first live, and was about to release his very first album in December, and they refused to acknowledge it. And now they were threatening to remove him from the will?

Seeing Renji’s face, Byakuya was quick to speak. “I have no plans on ending my career when I’ve just started it,” he reassured. “Even if they write me out of the will, they can’t take away the company. And besides, I’ve already started to make a name for myself. Soon enough, I won’t need to depend on the Kuchiki name to be recognized.”

“I know you’re not gonna just end your career like that, believe me,” Renji said. “It’s just… baffling, how your family refuses to acknowledge the fact that you’re doing something that makes you happy and just spit on your accomplishments because, what, you’re wearing makeup? You have a theatrical flair?” He shrugged. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand the world you’re from.”

“My grandmother is one of those people who believe that money equals love,” Byakuya said. “She rules her home with guilt, shame, and fear. My father tried to break free from them but then he and my mother died when I was quite young. So I was pulled into that environment to be raised by my aunt and uncle, who strongly believed in using those same tactics as well.”

A wistful smile crossed his face. “As cliché as it may sound, music was my only escape from all the pressures placed upon me,” he said. “After Yoruichi was banned from hanging out with me, I really poured all my time and effort into piano and writing songs. I’d thought that they’d be pleased to hear me play a song I’d composed and written on my own…” He sighed bitterly. “I got into trouble for focusing on ‘trivial things’ and they threatened to pull me from piano lessons if I didn’t stop. So I just stopped songwriting and focused only on my studies, and I gradually spent less time at the piano.”

Well damn, now Renji felt like he’d been punched in the gut after hearing that. To come from a home ruled with fear and shame, no wonder Byakuya was so quick to form a connection with Hisana. She’d literally been his last escape from that environment. But at the same time, he was definitely even more proud of Byakuya.

Tentatively, he wrapped an arm around Byakuya’s shoulders and pulled him close. Byakuya leaned into Renji, closing his eyes when he kissed the top of his head.

“I’m sorry if I ruined the mood with this talk now,” Byakuya said. “But… it felt good to just talk about it.”

“Hey, don’t say sorry,” Renji told him. “I’ll always listen if you need to get something off your chest.”

Byakuya smiled briefly. “It’s not really the insults against me that are upsetting,” he admitted. “Rather, it’s what they said about you.”

“What’d they say?”

Byakuya closed his eyes as he recalled that disgusting message. “I don’t want to remember the worst of it, but I will say that they called you a low-class dog and a thug,” he said.

Renji shrugged. “Eh. Nothing I haven’t heard before. And besides, I’m a stray dog down to my bones but I ain’t apologizing to no one about it,” he said. “Lemme guess. They think I’m low-class because of the tattoos?”

“And because you’re loud and you apparently swear a lot,” Byakuya added.

At that, Renji smiled wryly. “Well, what can I say?” he asked. “I grew up around a bunch of dirt-poor, loud, tattooed artists and creative people. And when you’ve grown up around those kinds of people, things can get loud and swear-heavy, especially if there’s a fight within family.”

That was the kind of environment Renji grew up in? Byakuya couldn’t help but feel a little bit envious that Renji had a much more colourful and passionate upbringing; no wonder Renji was so spirited and fiery. “Your world is so different from mine,” he said. “If there’s a feud within the family, it’s always ongoing legal battles of back-and-forth suing that sometimes goes on for years.”

“Pfft,” Renji snorted. “If my folks got beef with someone, it’s settled with fists, and sometimes even stabbings.” He laughed at Byakuya’s surprised expression. “Well, stabbings were rare. But the people who got stabbed totally had it coming, so…”

Byakuya couldn’t stop himself from chuckling.

Right then, there was a knock at the door. “Oi, Renji!” Jinta’s voice came from outside. “Dad told us you’re free today, so let’s play some futsal!”

Renji looked up at the clock in surprise. “Oh damn, they’re already back from school?” he said before turning to the door. “Sure, just give me a moment!”

As he got up from the couch, he glanced at Byakuya. “You wanna play futsal with us?” he offered.

“I don’t see why not,” Byakuya said, getting up. “I’ve never played it, but can I watch?”

“Sure.”

They slipped on their shoes and headed outside, where Jinta and Ururu were waiting. Renji also decided to use the opportunity to introduce Byakuya to Ururu, since he’d already met Jinta last time.

Since it was already fall, the weather was beginning to get a little chilly. As orange leaves fell to the ground of the apartment courtyard, Byakuya leaned against the wall of the building as he watched Renji kick a ball around with Jinta, Ururu, and their friends, their laughter echoing through the area.

Honestly, Renji never ceased to amaze Byakuya. To think that such a fierce, dangerous-looking man could actually be so friendly and understanding to others around him… moments like these were when Byakuya wondered what his life would’ve been like if he’d met Renji much younger.

But it didn’t matter now. So long as he had Renji by his side now, Byakuya was no longer afraid of anything his family would throw at him.

**Author's Note:**

> The Schloss Bruchsal is a Baroque-style palace complex in the town of Bruchsal in Germany, and it's well-known for its fine Rococo decorations and a grand Baroque entrance staircase. I highly recommend looking at photos, it's incredibly gorgeous to look at.
> 
> I also hope you can forgive me for putting opera references in this instalment; I've been listening to some opera arias a while back, mainly to try and see which voice suited Unohana the most (to which I've reached the conclusion that Diana Damrau's voice would definitely be Unohana's voice if she was an opera singer), and so I just ended up writing these parts in.
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


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